The Rock looks unrecognisable in first glimpse of new role in film starring Oleksandr Usyk

WWE legend The Rock looks unrecognisable in the first glimpse of his new film - which also stars unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

The Rock - real name Dwayne Johnson - spent the first part of 2024 as part of one of the biggest WWE programmes in history alongside Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

His latest WWE run ended at WrestleMania 40 in April, when he was chokeslammed by The Undertaker during a choatic final sequence that saw Rhodes pin Reigns to win the WWE Undisputed Championship.

The previous night, 'The Final Boss' teamed with Reigns to defeat Rhodes and Rollins - and confirmed in his post-event press conference that he would taking a break from wrestling to focus on his upcoming film projects.

One of those projects is 'The Smashing Machine', a film which tells the story of legendary MMA fighter Mark Kerr. It is slated for release in 2025.

Johnson will portray the role of Kerr, with the film focusing on the peak of his career and exploring his battles with addiction.

The 55-year-old was also a successful wrestler, winning in his respective division three years in a row at the ADCC Submission Wrestling Championships.

Unified heavyweight champion Usyk, who beat Tyson Fury by split decision on Sunday, also stars in the film, portraying Ukrainian MMA fighter Igor Vovchancyn.

Now, a new screenshot of the film has emerged which shows Johnson seated inside the ring - and it's fair to say he looks almost recognisable at first glance.

Reacting to The Rock's transformation on social media, one fan wrote: "Truly was wondering why this wasn't depicting either of those actors at first."

Another said: "The transformation is so unreal and I like it."

A third added: "Rock really diving into this role. Can't recognise him at all."

While a fourth mused: "Doesn't look like his face at all. I'm hyped."

Other fans, meanwhile, made the same comparison, claiming he looks like former UFC and WWE star Ken Shamrock.

Although it is unclear as to which direction The Rock will take when he returns to WWE, but he teased a future match against Rhodes when the pair faced off on the Raw after WrestleMania - with Rock giving his rival an unidentified small gift during the promo.